What Actually Moved the Needle

At the beginning of 2024, I thought I needed a perfect plan. What I actually needed this year was something completely different. And once I figured it out, everything shifted. If you have ever felt like you’re doing a lot but moving slowly, this recap is for you. This is Dr. Christiane and today I’m sharing my year end recap. Before we dive in, you here’s what you can take away from this episode. First, you’ll hear the quiet shifts that actually changed my year, not just the highlight reel.

You’ll learn why small, intentional steps are more powerful than big, dramatic changes. And you’ll see how celebrating progress while you’re in motion can actually make everything feel lighter and more sustainable. This year surprised me. Not all at once, but in a steady, quiet way that only became clear with distance. I walked into January with a detailed plan, the kind that actually looks productive on paper and makes you feel like you are in control. But the real growth didn’t come from that plan. It actually came from tiny decisions I made on days that felt uncertain, scattered, or simply human. There were early mornings when I wrote before anyone was even awake.

Afternoons filled with students coaching, also sessions and creative work. Evenings where I questioned whether the ideas I cared about would actually reach people who needed them. And without realizing, this year developed a theme. Clarity. Not the dramatic kind, the everyday kind that shifts your life one steady step at a time. I kept asking myself one what matters right now? Not someday, not after the session. Now. And that question reshaped everything.

My book, my TEDx talk, and more importantly, my classroom. But last year, of course, it also shaped my coaching and how I lead and create. And one clearest example of that showed up during my TEDx talk and during the preparation of my TEDx talk. Before my talk, I sent a simple email to my neighbors with the subject line Quick Favor Practicing my TEDX Talk I wrote, I’m giving a TEDx talk to an audience of about 1000 people and I would love to practice my 10 minute talk with a friendly audience. If you’re around this weekend, I’m happy to come to your house. Or you can come to mine and we can meet at the park. It’s truly just 10 minutes and it’s a fun, light talk. And then I did the most important part.

I had invited them into the process. Over the next few days, I started what I now call TedX Caroling. I walked through my neighborhood carrying a printed copy of my talk. I practiced in driveways, on porches, in living rooms, outside doctors offices, on benches in the park, 10 minutes at a time with whoever who was willing to listen. One afternoon, I visited a group of older women who turned it into a special event. Their living room was gleaming. It smelled like cinnamon and cookies. They handed me a glass of sparkling apple cider and told me to stand in the middle of the room and give my talk.

I wasn’t waiting for the red dot for the final big event. I was actually treating the process as worthy of celebration. So when I finally stood on the stage, on that red circle, under the bright lights, in front of a thousand people, I wasn’t afraid. I had already spoken this message. In kitchens, on driveways, on sidewalks, in front of neighbors and friends. The stage was just another living room. And this experience shifted how I think about growth. We often treat celebrations as something that comes out after the success.

The party at the end, the toast once everything is finished. But what if celebration is meant to be part of the practice itself? Behavioral science actually back this up. Small rewards reinforce habits by activating the brain’s reward system. Every time we pause to acknowledge effort, we teach our brain this matters. Keep going. We close the loop between intention and reward and progress when it starts to feel natural instead of forced. Celebration in that sense, isn’t self congratulation. It’s self trust.

And thank you for showing up not just for the highlight reel, but for the real work. Before I close, I want to leave you with three simple strategies that help me the most this year. What matters right now? At least once per day. This one question really cuts through the noise faster than any other strategy. Second, choose one petite step each week and repeat it because repetition builds capability and capability builds confidence. And third, at the end of the day, take a moment and notice what went well, what worked today, what felt heavy, what small shift could I improve tomorrow? This type of reflection, let your observation be enough. And this is how you turn experience into growth and motion into momentum. So let’s build something meaningful together in the year ahead.